Wednesday 30 / October / 2024
Muscat: Bounce Oman will close its doors "with immediate effect" for an independent safety review after a schoolboy fell from a climbing tower and suffered head injuries.
The company announced its decision after an incident that occured on Thursday when a child fell from a climbing game at the centre.
The child suffered serious injuries and was taken to the ICU unit at Al Khoula hospital.
The company has expressed its sorrow over the incident and said that it would close down with immediate effect to conduct reviews and safety assessments.
Bounce Oman said, in a statement: "We are very sad to confirm that a young boy was seriously injured at our Oman venue whilst using the climbing area on Thursday 12th September.
"We are now doing everything within our power to make sure that we fully understand how the accident happened, and how we can prevent such accidents. As of now, we have no update that we can share regarding his condition and want to respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time. It is our duty to ensure the safety of all customers, especially children, within our venue, and this is a responsibility that we take incredibly seriously.
"Following the findings from our initial investigations, we can confirm that all equipment was functioning correctly. However, at this stage, we cannot rule out inadvertent human error by an employee and for this we are deeply sorry.
"As a result of these findings we have taken the decision to close the venue with immediate effect for a period of 2 or 3 days to ensure all team members are retrained on their duties and obligations, and all facts pertaining to the incident are established. This will also allow us to have an independent review conducted.
"While we cannot change the situation, we can make sure that we always adhere to strict safety measures and are taking serious steps to reaffirm the safety procedures with all members of the team.
"We will be approaching the relevant authorities to ensure they are confident with the action we have taken and will work closely with them. We know there will be many concerned parents out there, and as parents ourselves, we want you to know that the safety of our visitors is our number one priority and if anyone has any questions or concerns we would urge them to reach out to us on [email protected]."
On Thursday, the child was climbing one of the centre's games when he fell to the floor.
An official from the Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulance had earlier told Times of Oman: “We received a report that a child was injured due to falling from a high place.
"He was taken to Khoula Hospital."
According to Al Khoula hospital, the child was still in the ICU unit as of Saturday.
An official from the hospital told Times of Oman: "I can confirm that the child is still in the intensive care unit after he was operated on."
The climbing area was immediately roped off by Bounce Oman operators after the incident, according to parents who were present.
